Cash Machines

John McFall: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many cash machines are currently provided on (a) bases and (b) other property owned, rented or otherwise used by his Department; how many of these cash machines (i) levy a surcharge for withdrawing cash and (ii) are free to use; whether any of the machines which are free to use are in areas that are only accessible by officers; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: There are 268 machines on military bases in Great Britain, Northern Ireland and Germany. Of these, 251 levy a surcharge, leaving 11 machines that are free to use. The free machines are mainly located where troops are confined to base in some way, either for training or security reasons. At Brize Norton, the air base used by those returning from deployment around the world, including Iraq, there are two free machines to facilitate easy access to cash as soon as the troops reach the UK. There are no machines that are accessible by officers only.
	Information on cash machines at other property owned, rented or otherwise used by the Ministry of Defence, is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Cluster Munitions

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on (i) improving the reliability of cluster munitions and (ii) finding militarily-adequate alternatives to cluster munitions; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: No research has been commissioned in respect of air launched cluster munitions as they are gradually being withdrawn from service over the next five years. Recent statistics show an overall failure rate which is in line with expectations. For Ground Launched systems, the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) is due to be replaced by the future GMLRS Area Effects Munition (AEM) with a planned in service date of early 2007. The new system has bomblets fitted with a self destruct faze giving a failure rate of less than 1 per cent. Whilst the Shell 155mm HE L20A1 Extended Range Bomblet Shell (ERBS) has a maximum failure rate of 2 per cent. at the 95 per cent. Confidence LeveL The bomblet fuze has a self destruct mechanism. Analysis shows that for a significant percentage of likely targets the bomblet remains the most effective munition.

Disposal Services Agency

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contracts have been signed by his Department's Disposal Services Agency in the calendar year 2004 for equipment directly sold on a government-to-government basis; and if he will list (a) the equipment concerned and (b) the country to which it has gone or is going.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence's Disposal Services Agency (DSA) signed contracts with the Dutch Air Force for one ex-Qinetiq Hercules aircraft (to be delivered in 2005) and with the Norwegian Defence Forces for a quantity of Stingray torpedoes and depth charges (delivered in December 2004).
	The DSA also signed contracts in 2004 for the supply of equipment to Jordan. These equipments have been sold in support of the Al Hussein Project, which has been established under an inter-governmental memorandum of understanding to facilitate the transfer of ex-MOD surplus Challenger 1 Tank assets. All of the following are sales agreements for support equipments:
	
		
			 Quantity Equipment 
		
		
			 2 Surplus Jones IF8 Wheeled Workshop Cranes (delivered in December 2004) 
			 20 Surplus Chieftain Armoured Repair and Recovery  Vehicles (19 to be delivered between October and  December 2004 and the DSA plans to ship the last  vehicle in March/April 2005) 
			 6 Surplus M578 Tracked Cranes and a package of  surplus spares and support equipment (export of  these six items will be subject to US Government  approval—delivery probable 2005)

Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether he intends to invite BAE Systems to underwrite the through life costs of the Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer;
	(2)  what his latest estimate is of the in-service date for the Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer;
	(3)  what the main provisions of the gain share agreement between his Department and BAE Systems in respect of the Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer are;
	(4)  what design changes the Integrated Project Team for the Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer proposes to make;
	(5)  what he expects the through life costs of the Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer to be.
	(6)  when he expects to sign the contract for the (a) development phase and (b) production phase of the Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer.

Adam Ingram: We expect the Hawk 128 Advanced Jet Trainer aircraft to cost approximately 3.5 billion "Through Life", which amounts to some 20 years. The aircraft will be procured conventionally and paid for by the taxpayer, therefore there is no requirement for BAE Systems to underwrite the Through Life Costs (TLC).
	The Ministry of Defence and BAE Systems have defined and agreed a mature Hawk 128 aircraft specification. We do not envisage any significant design changes to the specification during the Design and Development phase.
	Gain share incentivises a Company to reduce costs and in return receive financial benefit. This information is commercially sensitive and it would be inappropriate to comment further.
	The Design and Development Contract (DDC) was awarded to BAE Systems. on 22 December 2004. Final aircraft numbers, delivery schedule and In-Service Date will all be set at the main investment decision point which is planned for Spring 2006. at which time approval will be sought to place a Production Contract.

Interceptor Missiles

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Her Majesty's Government has made a decision regarding the stationing of interceptor missiles in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: No request has been made and no decision is necessary.

Bovine TB

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the latest figures are for the incidence of bovine TB, broken down by holding.

Ben Bradshaw: Bovine tuberculosis surveillance data is not available on a holding basis. However, detailed TB statistics, broken down by county in areas of high TB incidence, or by Animal Health Divisional Office (AHDO) in other areas, are published each month on the Defra website at:
	www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/tb/stats/index.htm
	The published data include the number of TB herd breakdowns in each county or AHDO area.

Environmental Scheme Costs

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received on the fees charged for the administration and supervision of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

Elliot Morley: The subsistence charging amendments to the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme Regulations went out to consultation in October last year (22 October–3 December). Approximately 30 responses from companies have been received. Defra will be publishing a response to some of the questions raised on its website shortly, and the consultation responses will be made available in the Defra library in due course.

EU Emissions Trading Scheme

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs or what reasons she does not envisage a level playing field for the implementation of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme for shipping and aviation.

Elliot Morley: We do envisage a level playing field for intra-EU aviation flights and the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. As outlined in the 2003 Air Transport White Paper, "The Future of Air Transport", the Government are actively pursuing the inclusion of intra-EU aviation in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, and progress on this policy will be a priority for the UK Presidency of the EU in 2005. If the UK is successful, it is hoped that intra-EU aviation could be included within the second phase of the Scheme, from 2008 or soon after.
	Dealing with all matters maritime, including emissions from ships, is a competence at IMO (the International Maritime Organisation). The nature of international shipping is such that it needs to be treated very differently to all other modes of transport. This is important, as most ships are registered outside of the EU (e.g. Panama). We continue to lobby member states of the IMO to tackle this issue. To date this has met with little success, as the political discussions surrounding environment issues are often blocked outright.

EU Emissions Trading Scheme

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the EU Emissions Trading Scheme will enter into force.

Elliot Morley: The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme Regulations (2003) state:
	"No person shall carry out a Schedule 1 activity resulting in specified emissions after 1 January 2005, except under and to the extent authorised by a greenhouse gas emissions permit."
	UK Regulators have issued about 1,150 permits, and conditions under those permits require installations covered by the Scheme to monitor and report their emissions of carbon dioxide.

Oil Contamination

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of oil leaks on land in each of the last four years contaminated (a) sources of drinking water and (b) water used for recreation; what requirements exist to report such occurrences; what powers exist to require remedial action to be taken; and what the estimated cost was to public funds of such occurrences.

Elliot Morley: With respect to the proportion of oil leaks on land over the last four years, this data is not available. However, the Oil Care Campaign has commissioned research (sponsored by the oil industry) to review all sources of information on the causes of oil pollution. The conclusions of this work, including provisional data for 2004, are due for publication in the next two months.
	There are no general requirements for such spillages to be reported, although the Environment Agency (EA) encourages their reporting and has an emergency hotline for this purpose. In addition, the water companies are required to notify the Drinking Water Inspectorate of any incident which affects drinking water quality or where there may be a risk to consumers' health. This includes all instances of chemical contamination including oil leakage/spillage.
	The EA has the power to serve a Works Notice in order to prevent the immediate threat of water pollution or to ensure that remedial action is taken following an incident. However, in most cases, the necessary action is secured without recourse to the formal issuing of a notice.
	The estimated cost of such incidents to public funds is not readily available. However, the EA expects to be able to provide some indicative costs at the same time as the incident data.

Tax Credits

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer from the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on 17 January 2005, Official Report, column 713W, on tax credits, whether the fareshare scheme, previously funded under the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme, is eligible for funding under the Waste Implementation Programme; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: In November I announced details of the Community Sector Support Programme, which is being administered by the Waste Implementation Programme. This funding package includes one year of grant support in 2005–06 for projects dealing with municipal waste, for which the deadline for applications was 4 January.

Wood Burning

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures are being taken to divert wood from landfill to (a) coal-fired and (b) non-coal burning power stations.

Elliot Morley: The Government are committed to reducing the UK's reliance on landfill, in order to reduce its environmental impact and because landfilling is a missed opportunity to recover value from waste. This commitment applies to waste wood as it does to any other waste material. Using wood as a fuel in power stations is one alternative to disposal in landfills and, under the forthcoming review of the Renewables Obligation, the case for amending eligibility rules regarding electricity generated from mixed wastes, including wood, will be considered.
	There are other ways of diverting wood from landfill, such as re-using or recycling it as a raw material in construction or for manufacturing wood based products. To encourage this, wood is one of the priority materials under the Government-funded Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), which was established to create markets for recycled materials. By 2006 WRAP are aiming for a 150,000 tonne increase in the recycling of waste wood into added-value end markets.

Wood Burning

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate the amount of wood which is disposed of in landfill sites; and what action she plans to take to reduce that amount.

Elliot Morley: The Government have no basis for estimating the amount of wood being disposed of in landfills. However, they are committed to reducing the UK's reliance on landfill, in order to reduce its environmental impact and because landfilling is a missed opportunity to recover value from waste. This commitment applies to wood as it does to any other waste material. As a result, the Government encourages the re-use or recycling of wood as a raw material in construction or in manufacturing wood based products or used as a fuel, rather than being sent to landfill. In particular, wood is one of the priority materials under the Government-funded Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), which was established to create markets for recycled materials. By 2006 WRAP are aiming for a 150,000 tonne increase in the recycling of waste wood into added-value end markets.

Dental Services

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he plans to meet the new Minister for Health and Social Services of the National Assembly for Wales to discuss dental services in Wales.

Don Touhig: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Lady for Congleton (Ann Winterton). As I said then, I have already met the Assembly's new Health Minister and we plan to have further meetings and discussions in the coming weeks.

Pupil Referral Units

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with his secretaries in the National Assembly for Wales on the availability of pupil referral units in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: I regularly meet Assembly Ministers to discuss a range of issues, including education.
	Data for Wales indicates a significant rise in the number of referral unit places and pupils. The number of pupil referral units has risen from 24 in 1997 to 31 in 2004 and the number of pupils registered in the units has also risen from 49 to 1,058 in the same timescale.

Pensioner Poverty

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with his Cabinet colleagues on tackling pensioner poverty in Wales.

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with his Cabinet colleagues on tackling pensioner poverty in Wales.

Don Touhig: I have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues including tackling pensioner poverty in Wales.
	The Government is tackling pensioner poverty with an extra £10 billion to be spent on pensioners in 2005–06. The Assembly is also making £10 million available to 2006–07 for its strategy for Older People in Wales. The strategy will plan for an ageing society and improve services for older people in Wales.

CPS Prosecutions (Essex)

David Amess: To ask the Solicitor General how many prosecutions were undertaken by the Crown Prosecution Service in (a) Essex and (b) Southend-on-Sea in each year since 1997; and how many resulted in (i) conviction and (ii) acquittal.

Harriet Harman: Cases prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service do not all conclude in a conviction or an acquittal. The difference between the number of defendant files prosecuted and the number of defendants resulting in conviction or acquittal will reflect the defendants that did not proceed to trial or conviction. They will be classed under the Area's performance figures as defendant cases resulting in a discontinuance or discharged committal, or defendants that are on a warrant or have been written off.
	
		Cases undertaken by CPS Essex since 1997
		
			  Number of defendants prosecuted Number of defendants convicted Number of acquittals 
		
		
			 1997 28,829 21,186 803 
			 1998 28,918 21,954 854 
			 1999 29,098 21,722 919 
			 2000 25,761 19,123 733 
			 2001 26,440 20,657 603 
			 2002 26,931 20,842 633 
			 2003 27,570 21,064 870 
			 2004 (to September)28,499 23,367 1,049 
		
	
	
		Cases undertaken by Southend-on-Sea Criminal Justice Unitsince 1997
		
			  Number of defendants prosecuted Number of defendants convicted Number of acquittals 
		
		
			 1997 6,051 4,408 86 
			 1998 6,169 4,673 97 
			 1999 6,228 4,665 88 
			 2000 5,573 4,135 86 
			 2001 5,958 4,845 62 
			 2002 4,534 3,643 50 
			 2003 5,150 4,108 71 
			 2004 (to September)6,111 5,142 127

Palestine

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of Palestinian economic regeneration.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: Prospects for Palestinian economic regeneration are bleak unless the underlying causes of economic decline and poverty are addressed. The Government of Israel needs to ease the system of restrictions on the movement of people and goods imposed since the beginning of the "intifada". The Palestinian Authority also needs to invigorate its programme of governance reforms in order to create an internal environment more attractive to private investors. The UK is working closely with international partners on both these issues. Economic issues will be a key theme of the London meeting on 1 March. This will be an opportunity to support the new Palestinian leadership in strengthening its institutional capacity and will also help stimulate progress on the Road Map towards a settlement which will allow the Palestinian economy to grow again.

Concessionary Travel

Michael Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the number of pensioners eligible for free bus passes and travel; and what percentage of the pensioner population this represents.

Charlotte Atkins: In England, there are five areas where older people (men and women aged 60 and over) are offered free concessionary travel on local bus services. These are the London boroughs, Merseyside, Crawley, Redditch and Thurrock. Reading and the West Midlands offer free local bus travel to residents aged 65 and over. Free local bus travel is also offered by Bournemouth and Plymouth to residents aged 80 and over and by Rossendale to residents aged 90 and over.
	We estimate that 1.96 million older people are eligible for free bus travel in these areas, representing 18.9 per cent. of older people in England. The remaining 8.42 million older people in England are entitled to at least the statutory half-fare minimum requirement on bus services, with no charge for the pass, though local authorities can offer more generous schemes and many provide concessions between half fares and free travel, such as flat fares. There are 9.19 million pensioners in England (men aged 65 and over, women aged 60 and over) of which 1.79 million are eligible for free local bus travel. This represents 19.4 per cent. of pensioners in England.
	Some other authorities offer the choice of free travel with a charge for the annual concessionary travel pass as an alternative to the statutory minimum half fare with a free annual pass. Some local authorities also extend their concessionary fare schemes to cover other forms of public transport—including the free schemes in the London boroughs, Merseyside, and Crawley and the partially free scheme in the West Midlands.
	Figures are based on Office of National Statistics 2003 population estimates.

Departmental Expenditure

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on energy costs incurred by his Department in each of the last two years.

Charlotte Atkins: Pursuant to my answer of 15 December 2004, Official Report, columns 1094–96W the revised energy costs recorded by the Department for the periods 2002–03 and 2003–04 are as follows:
	
		
			 £ 
			  Electricity Gas Oil Total 
			  2002–03 2003–04 2002–03 2003–04 2002–03 2003–04 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 DfT HQ 311,833 323,395 18,578 23,436 0 0 330,411 346,831 
			 AAIB 9,300 8,900 0 0 9,500 8,800 18,800 17,700 
			 MAIB 3,606 5,132 506 730 0 0 4,112 5,862 
			 DSA 268,270 293,902 90,982 104,005 3,253 2,591 362,505 400,498 
			 DVLA 560,399 557,518 120,693 129,053 0 0 681,092 686,571 
			 HA 387,801 229,094 58,897 53,497 29 4,164 446,727 286,755 
			 MCA 475,400 492,906 96,404 106,421 45,451 25,939 617,255 625,266 
			 VCA 11,698 6,848 1,321 1,628 4,014 3,664 17,033 12,140 
			 VOSA 425,828 402,869 113,067 134,937 75,099 46,524 613,994 584,330 
			 Total 2,454,135 2,320,564 500,448 553,707 137,346 91,682 3,091,929 2,965,953 
		
	
	Overall the decrease in costs from 2002–03 to 2003–04 is 4 per cent. although the figures for costs alone can be misleading if not placed within the wider context of changes in unit price, areas measured, levels of consumption and improved record keeping. The DfT estate comprises some 1,680 properties of varying size, use and nature of occupation and is therefore not possible to make any comprehensive or definitive statements about energy cost changes on such a diverse estate, which may be attributable to these and other factors.
	Increases and decreases in unit charges and area occupied can also mask efforts to improve energy efficiency so a better measure of performance is consumption at those properties where energy monitoring is both possible and carried out where the overall usage was down 2.2 per cent. over the same period. For more details on consumption I would refer the hon. Member to my answer of 20 October 2004, Official Report, columns 687–88W to the hon. Member for Ashford (Mr. Green).
	The Department will continue to aim to reduce energy consumption and meet other energy targets set out in the Framework for Sustainable Development in the Government Estate.

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the running costs of the Department were in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) electricity, (b) water, (c) gas, (d) telephones, (e) mobile telephones and (f) televisions.

Charlotte Atkins: The Department for Transport was formed in May 2002 and as a result the information provided only relates from the years 2002–03 onwards.
	The Department's running costs for the items requested are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   £000 
			  2002–03 2003–04 
			 Running cost type DfT central Agencies Total DfT central Agencies Total 
		
		
			 Electricity 324.7 2,129.4 2,454.1 337.4 1,983.1 2,320.5 
			 Water 17.5 525.5 543.0 37.6 506.5 544.1 
			 Gas 19.1 481.4 500.5 24.2 529.5 553.7 
			 Telephones 2,644.3 6,051.4 8,695.7 1,529.3 7,886.6 9,415.9 
			 Mobile telephone 79.4 386.6 466.0 111.8 440.9 552.7 
			 Television 11.1 1.8 12.9 11.2 2.2 13.4 
			 Total 3,096.1 9,576.1 12,672.2 2,051.5 11,348.8 13,400.3

Freedom of Information

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what categories of information are available under Freedom of Information legislation that have not been provided in written parliamentary answers by his Department in the last three years.

Charlotte Atkins: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Mr. Leslie) on 24 January 2005, Official Report, column 140W.

Railways

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the likely growth in passenger numbers on the rail network over the next (a) five and (b) 10 years, broken down by (i) national rail network, (ii) First Great Western franchise area and (iii) First Great Western Link franchise area.

Tony McNulty: The information is not available in the form requested. The Strategic Rail Authority's (SRA) "Capacity Utilisation Policy: Network Utilisation Strategy" document, published in June 2003, states that their planning assumption is that demand growth between 2001–02 and 2010–11 will be in the region of 20–30 per cent.. The SRA's "Great Western Main Line Route Utilisation Strategy" consultation document, published in January, states that overall passenger growth for the Great Western Main Line area is forecast to be around 18 per cent. between 2002–03 and 2011–12.

Childminders

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) registered childminders and (b) registered childminder places were available in 2004.

Margaret Hodge: At 31 December 2004 the numbers of registered childminders and registered childminder places in England were 71,000 and 318,100 respectively.
	Statistics on the number of childcare places registered in England were published on 19 January 2005 in a report by Ofsted "Registered Childcare Providers and Places in England, 31 December 2004". The report is available on the Ofsted website, www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications.

Childminders

Mark Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) childminders and (b) childminder places were registered in Stoke-on-Trent in 2004.

Margaret Hodge: At 31 December 2004 the numbers of registered childminders and registered childminder places in Stoke on Trent local education authority area were 300 and 1,300 respectively.
	Statistics on the number of child care places registered in England were published on 19 January 2005 in a report by Ofsted "Registered Childcare Providers and Places in England, 31 December 2004". The report is available on the Ofsted website, www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications.

Departmental Staff

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of her Department's staff is based in London.

Derek Twigg: Information on regional distribution of staff is available in the Libraries of both Houses, and also at: http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management information/statistical information/statistics/contents for civil service statistics 2003 report/index.asp
	Table D shows the numbers of staff by regional distribution. Figures relating to 1 April 2004 are due to be published during February 2005.

Education Funding

Mark Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public funding has been spent on (a) higher and (b) further education in Stoke on Trent in each year since 1997.

Kim Howells: Public funding for Staffordshire university from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) is shown in the first table.
	
		Recurrent funding for Staffordshire university 1, 2, 3 £000
		
			   Of which: 
			  Recurrent funds for teaching and research(4) Teaching Research Funds for rewarding and developing staff(5) 
		
		
			 1997–98 28,479 27,832 647 — 
			 1998–99 32,908 32,189 719 — 
			 1999–2000 34,020 33,182 838 — 
			 2000–01 36,393 35,481 912 — 
			 2001–02 39,001 37,256 905 841 
			 2002–03 40,185 38,123 820 1,242 
			 2003–04 41,565 39,232 609 1,724 
			 2004–05 41,083 40,512 572 — 
		
	
	(1) HEFCE is not able to provide data on funding allocated in respect of students ordinarily resident in Stoke on Trent.
	2 HEFCE data is provided for Staffordshire university and its partner colleges in the Staffordshire University Regional Federation (SURF), who are funded by HEFCE through the university. The figures therefore include funding not just for Staffordshire university's Stoke campus and Stoke-on-Trent College, but for the university's other campuses in Stafford and Lichfield and its various partner FE Colleges across Staffordshire and Shropshire. We are not able to disaggregate funding for these constituent parts as the university and its partners are funded as a single entity through a block grant.
	3 Funding figures show HEFCE recurrent grant for teaching and research only. They exclude other HEFCE grants such as for capital and other special initiatives. They also exclude funding from other public sources, such as the NHS, TTA, LSC, research councils etc.
	4 Constituent parts may not add to total due to rounding.
	5 Funding for rewarding and developing staff was first allocated for 2001–02 and transferred into teaching grant in 2004–05.
	Source:
	HEFCE
	In addition HEFCE provided £549,987 of recurrent funding for teaching to Stoke on Trent college in 1999–2000. From 2000–01 onwards this was transferred to the HE provision for Staffordshire university.
	Data on public expenditure paid to students at Staffordshire university and Stoke on Trent college by the Student Loans Company (SLC) in respect of grants, income-contingent loan cash outlay, and tuition fees for academic years 1999/2000 to 2004/05 (provisional) are shown in the second table. Data are not available at the level requested prior to academic year 1999/2000.
	
		SLC expenditure on grants 1, 2, income-contingent loan cash outlay(3), and tuition fees(4) paid to students studying at Staffordshire university and Stoke on Trent college(5) Academic years 1999/2000 to 2004/05 (provisional) £ million
		
			 Academic year SLC expenditure 
		
		
			 1999/2000 24.6 
			 2000/01 34.2 
			 2001/02 34.7 
			 2002/03 32.2 
			 2003/04 31.8 
			 2004/05(6) 28.9 
		
	
	(2) Up to and including academic year 2003/04, data on grant expenditure for student support scheme students relates to additional allowances/grants available to eligible students for extra help depending on their circumstances, e.g. students with disabilities, students with dependents, single parent students, those incurring certain travel costs, and those who have recently left care. In addition, data for 2004/05 include expenditure on the Higher Education grant which was introduced for new students in 2004/05 to help cover the cost of participating in Higher Education.
	(3) Students domiciled in England and Wales.
	(4) Students domiciled in England, Wales and the EU.
	(5) Data also include planned expenditure.
	(6) Provisional (as at 19 January 2005)
	Data on public expenditure for mortgage style loans, hardship loans, part-time fee grants and part-time course grants are not readily available at the level requested. I will include details of these expenditures in the House of Commons Library when available.
	Data on discretionary funding at Staffordshire University Regional Federation (SURF) are shown in the third table.
	
		Discretionary funding at SURF 1, 2 from 1997/98 to 2004/05 £000
		
			  Hardship/access to learning fund Fee waivers Opportunity bursaries Support for access administration 
		
		
			 1997/98 234.6 n/a n/a n/a 
			 1998/99 524.2 n/a n/a n/a 
			 1999/2000 833.4 n/a n/a n/a 
			 2000/01 842.4 33.8 n/a 35.7 
			 2001/02 960.4 36.1 148.0 28.2 
			 2002/03 909.3 54.2 208.5 28.9 
			 2003/04 802.3 74.1 309.0 (9)— 
			 2004/05 765.2 6.2 174.0 (9)— 
		
	
	n/a = not applicable.
	(7) Data include funding for Staffordshire university's Stoke campus, Stoke-on-Trent college and the university's other campuses in Stafford and Litchfield and its various partner FE colleges, all of which are funded by HEFCE through the university.
	(8) As lead institution, Staffordshire university receive discretionary funding for all of the members of the consortium and the consortium decide how the allocation is administered.
	(9) From 2003/04 administration funding was paid as an integral part of the Access to Learning Fund allocation.
	There are two Further Education colleges located within the parliamentary constituency of Stoke on Trent Central, namely Stoke on Trent college and the City of Stoke on Trent sixth form college. Public funding for these from the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and its predecessor the Further Education Funding Council (FEFC) is shown in the fourth table.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 Academic year Stoke-on-Trent college City of Stoke-on-Trent sixth form college 
		
		
			 1997/98 18.0 4.3 
			 1998/99 18.1 4.4 
			 1999/2000 19.0 4.8 
			 2000/01 20.8 5.8 
			 2001/02 20.6 5.5 
			 2002/03 22.7 5.7 
			 2003/04 25.9 5.5 
			 2004/05 27.7 6.0 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. These figures represent allocations of funding for FE provision that was actually paid (but may have been adjusted subsequently for under or over performance) and do not include any non-FE funding that the colleges may have received.
	2. The LSC was established in April 2001 and prior to that the FE sector was administered by the FEFC.

Education Funding

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will instruct the Learning and Skills Council to fund school sixth forms and further education colleges at the same level for capital investment projects.

Kim Howells: Capital funding for school sixth forms is part of the devolved funding for schools which the local education authority administers.
	Capital funding for further education colleges is the responsibility of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) which has sole discretion in how and where it allocates capital support.
	In our 5-year strategy we set out plans to establish a new 16–19 capital fund combining school and further education resources to support coherent investment in new 16–19 provision.
	The fund is expected to come into effect from 2006–07, and will be administered by the LSC.

Education Funding

Mark Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the per capita funding for 16 to 18 year olds in Stoke-on-Trent was in (a) school sixth forms, (b) the sixth form college and (c) other further education colleges in each of the past five years.

Kim Howells: The Department allocates funds for education and training in the post-6 learning and skills sector to the Learning and Skills Council. The Department does not collect information on the level of per capita funding for 16 to 18 year olds in school sixth forms and sixth form and further education colleges at the local level. Mark Haysom, the Learning and Skills Council's Chief Executive will write to the hon. Member with details of the level of per capita funding for 16 to 18 year olds in (a) school sixth forms (b) sixth form colleges and (c) further education colleges in each of the past five years in the Stoke-on-Trent area. A copy of his letter will be placed in the House Library.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students aged 16 to 18 years are in receipt of education maintenance allowance in each institution in the Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Learning and Skills Council area.

Ivan Lewis: EMA is available in 2004/05 to eligible young people aged 16 on 31 August 2004 in the Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire LSC area. As at 19 January 2005 3,260 young people in the Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire LSC area had received an EMA payment.
	A document showing how many young people are receiving EMA in individual educational institutions in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire LSC area is shown in the following table.
	
		EMA students by School/College(10)
		
			 LEA name SCL ID SCL Description Number of enrolments 
		
		
			 Buckinghamshire 110484 Buckingham School 19 
			 Buckinghamshire 110485 John Hampden Grammar School 21 
			 Buckinghamshire 110488 The Grange School 27 
			 Buckinghamshire 110489 Princes Risborough 16 
			 Buckinghamshire 110490 The Misbourne School 21 
			 Buckinghamshire 110491 John Colet School 17 
			 Buckinghamshire 110492 Quarrendon Upper School 8 
			 Buckinghamshire 110493 Burnham Grammar School 18 
			 Buckinghamshire 110494 Aylesbury High School 36 
			 Buckinghamshire 110495 Dr. Challoner's High School 13 
			 Buckinghamshire 110496 Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School and Performing Arts College 29 
			 Buckinghamshire 110497 Mandeville Upper School 29 
			 Buckinghamshire 110499 Holmer Green Senior School 11 
			 Buckinghamshire 110500 Cressex Community School 23 
			 Buckinghamshire 110501 Burnham Upper School 11 
			 Buckinghamshire 110504 Chesham High School 21 
			 Buckinghamshire 110505 The Beaconsfield School 15 
			 Buckinghamshire 110506 Sir William Ramsay School 18 
			 Buckinghamshire 110508 The Wye Valley School 11 
			 Buckinghamshire 110509 The Amersham School 26 
			 Buckinghamshire 110510 Chesham Park Community College 10 
			 Buckinghamshire 110511 Aylesbury Grammar School 23 
			 Buckinghamshire 110512 Royal Latin School 35 
			 Buckinghamshire 110513 Wycombe High School 36 
			 Buckinghamshire 110514 Dr. Challoner's Grammar School 18 
			 Buckinghamshire 110515 Sir William Borlase's Grammar School 12 
			 Buckinghamshire 110516 St. Bernard's Catholic School 15 
			 Buckinghamshire 110528 Beaconsfield High School 16 
			 Buckinghamshire 110529 The Chalfonts Community College 26 
			 Buckinghamshire 110530 The Royal Grammar School High Wycombe 26 
			 Buckinghamshire 110533 The Cottesloe School 14 
			 Buckinghamshire 110534 Waddesdon Church of England School 32 
			 Buckinghamshire 110535 Great Marlow School 26 
			 Buckinghamshire 110542 Holy Cross Convent School 1 
			 Buckinghamshire 110548 Stowe School 6 
			 Buckinghamshire 110573 Alfriston School 1 
			 Buckinghamshire 110581 Park School 4 
			 Buckinghamshire 110582 Heritage House School 1 
			 Buckinghamshire 110585 Furze Down School 8 
			 Buckinghamshire 130607 Aylesbury College 159 
			 Buckinghamshire 130608 Amersham and Wycombe College 260 
			 Buckinghamshire 133586 Penn School 1 
			 Milton Keynes 110487 Ousedale School 53 
			 Milton Keynes 110498 Denbigh School 42 
			 Milton Keynes 110502 Leon School and Sports College 31 
			 Milton Keynes 110517 St. Paul's Catholic School 58 
			 Milton Keynes 110526 Stantonbury Campus North 69 
			 Milton Keynes 110531 Lord Grey School 35 
			 Milton Keynes 110532 The Radcliffe School 41 
			 Milton Keynes 110567 Bury Lawn School 2 
			 Milton Keynes 110575 White Spire School 7 
			 Milton Keynes 110587 Slated Row School 12 
			 Milton Keynes 110592 The Redway School 3 
			 Milton Keynes 130609 Milton Keynes College 333 
			 Milton Keynes 131185 Shenley Brook End School 20 
			 Milton Keynes 131396 Walton High 36 
			 Oxfordshire 123231 Chipping Norton School 28 
			 Oxfordshire 123232 Banbury School 57 
			 Oxfordshire 123233 Bicester Community College 28 
			 Oxfordshire 123235 Burford School and Community College 22 
			 Oxfordshire 123237 The Henry Box School 28 
			 Oxfordshire 123238 Wood Green School 18 
			 Oxfordshire 123239 Bartholomew School 18 
			 Oxfordshire 123241 Gosford Hill School 40 
			 Oxfordshire 123242 Peers School 20 
			 Oxfordshire 123243 Wheatley Park School 33 
			 Oxfordshire 123251 The Cherwell School 38 
			 Oxfordshire 123252 Oxford Community School 30 
			 Oxfordshire 123253 Cheney School 29 
			 Oxfordshire 123255 Larkmead School 17 
			 Oxfordshire 123256 John Mason School 14 
			 Oxfordshire 123257 Fitzharrys School 14 
			 Oxfordshire 123258 Matthew Arnold School 17 
			 Oxfordshire 123259 St. Birinus School 20 
			 Oxfordshire 123260 Didcot Girls' School 31 
			 Oxfordshire 123261 Wallingford School 18 
			 Oxfordshire 123262 Faringdon Community College 11 
			 Oxfordshire 123263 King Alfred's Community and Sports College 49 
			 Oxfordshire 123267 The Marlborough Church of England School 22 
			 Oxfordshire 123268 Lord Williams's School 47 
			 Oxfordshire 123270 Blessed George Napier School 8 
			 Oxfordshire 123277 Kingham Hill School 3 
			 Oxfordshire 123278 Sibford School 3 
			 Oxfordshire 123282 The Oratory School 1 
			 Oxfordshire 123283 Cokethorpe School 2 
			 Oxfordshire 123285 Shiplake College 6 
			 Oxfordshire 123290 Headington School 11 
			 Oxfordshire 123298 Our Lady's Convent Senior School 8 
			 Oxfordshire 123310 Oxford High School GDST 4 
			 Oxfordshire 123311 Magdalen College School 2 
			 Oxfordshire 123312 Abingdon School 9 
			 Oxfordshire 123313 The School of St. Helen and St. Katharine 7 
			 Oxfordshire 123318 d'Overbroeck's College 2 
			 Oxfordshire 123331 Swalcliffe Park School Trust 2 
			 Oxfordshire 130789 The Henley College 160 
			 Oxfordshire 130793 Abingdon and Witney College 169 
			 Oxfordshire 132406 European School of Culham 1 
			 Oxfordshire 133430 St. Clare's Oxford 1 
			 Oxfordshire 133644 St. Gregory the Great VA Catholic Secondary School 31 
			 Oxfordshire 134153 Oxford and Cherwell College 319 
			 Total EMA students  3,260 
		
	
	(10) Data to 19 January 2005

Education, Youth and Culture Council

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the Government's priorities for the Education, Youth and Culture Council will be during the United Kingdom's Presidency of the European Union; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Operational Programme of the Council for 2005 submitted by the incoming Luxembourg and United Kingdom Presidencies and based on the Multi-Annual Strategic Programme for 2004–06 sets out priority areas of work in all policy areas, including education, youth and culture. A copy of the Annual Operation Programme for 2005 is available in the Library of the House.
	The focus of the programme is on the on-going handling of EU business. What will fall to the UK Presidency depends on the progress made by the Council, European Parliament and Commission under the Luxembourg Presidency. The programme reflects the main UK Presidency objectives and provides the basis for us to take forward our priorities.
	Key issues for the UK Presidency generally are likely to include progressing the delivery of the Lisbon agenda of more and better jobs, sustainable economic growth and greater competitiveness. In the Education part of the Council, we will aim to make good progress on the proposed new Integrated Lifelong Learning programme 2007–13. We will also begin work on the preparation of a report to the 2006 Spring European Council on the implementation of the detailed work programme 2010 for education and training systems agreed at Barcelona in spring 2002. In the Youth part of the Council, we will continue our negotiations on the Youth in Action programme for 2007–13. In the Culture and Audiovisual part of the Council, we will seek to move towards agreement on the proposed new culture programmes (2007–13) and the new Media programmes (2007–13). We will also seek to make progress on priority initiatives flowing from the new Culture Council work plan, in particular those on digitisation of cultural heritage and mobility of museum collections. In addition, we will take forward the preparatory work for a review of the Television without Frontiers ("TVWF") directive.

Free Nursery Places

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children in Hartlepool have benefited from free nursery places since the policy was introduced.

Margaret Hodge: All four-year-olds in England have been entitled to a free part-time early education place since September 1998. All three-year-olds in England have been entitled to a free part-time early education place since April 2004.
	The available information on the numbers of free part-time early education places taken up by three and four-year-olds in Hartlepool local education authority area is shown in the table.
	The latest figures on early education places for three and four-year-olds in England were published in Statistical First Release 39/2004 "Provision for children under five years of age in England—January 2004 (final)", which is available on the Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.
	
		Number of free nursery education places(11) taken up 3 and 4-year-olds, Hartlepool local education authority area
		
			  3-year-olds 4-year-olds 
			 Position in January each year Maintained nursery and primary schools(13) Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers Total 3-year-olds Maintained nursery and primary schools(13) Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers(14) Total 4-year-olds 
		
		
			 1997 1,100 n/a 1,100 n/a n/a (17)1,200 
			 1998 1,200 n/a 1,200 n/a n/a (17)1,300 
			 1999 1,200 n/a 1,200 n/a n/a (17)1,200 
			 2000 1,100 (15)40 1,100 n/a n/a (17)1,000 
			 2001 960 (15)30 1,000 n/a n/a (17)1,100 
			 2002 930 (15)90 1,000 1,100 (17)20 1,100 
			 2003 930 (15)80 1,000 1,100 20 1,100 
			 2004 950 (16)100 1,000 1,100 20 1,100 
		
	
	n/a = Not available.
	(11) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 or 100 as appropriate.
	(12) Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	(13) Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	(14) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.
	(15) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.
	(16) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.
	(17) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.

Free Nursery Places

Mark Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children in Stoke-on-Trent have taken up free nursery places in each year since the policy was introduced.

Margaret Hodge: All four-year-olds in England have been entitled to a free part-time early education place since September 1998. All three-year-olds in England have been entitled to a free part-time early education place since April 2004.
	The available information on the numbers of free part-time early education places taken up by three and four year olds in Stoke on Trent local education authority Area is shown in the table.
	The latest figures on early education places for three and four-year-olds in England were published in Statistical First Release 39/2004 "Provision for children under five years of age in England—January 2004 (final)", which is available on the Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.
	
		Number of free nursery education places(18) taken up by 3 and 4-year-olds, Stoke on Trent local education authority area 
		
			  3-year-olds 4-year-olds 
			 Position in January each year Maintained nursery and primary schools(19) Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers Total 3-year-olds Maintained nursery and primary schools(20) Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers Total 4-year-olds 
		
		
			 1997 1,200 n/a 1,200 n/a n/a (23)3,100 
			 1998 2,000 n/a 2,000 n/a n/a (23)3,000 
			 1999 2,000 n/a 2,000 n/a n/a (23)2,900 
			 2000 2,000 (21)290 2,300 n/a n/a (23)2,800 
			 2001 1,800 (21)370 2,200 n/a n/a (23)2,800 
			 2002 1,600 (21)450 2,100 2,800 (23)90 2,900 
			 2003 1,600 (21)640 2,300 2,700 (24)90 2,800 
			 2004 1,600 (22)600 2,200 2,600 (24)100 2,700 
		
	
	n/ a = Not available.
	(18) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 or 100 as appropriate.
	(19) Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	(20) Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	(21) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.
	(22) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.
	(23) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.
	(24) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.

Free Nursery Places

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) three and (b) four-year-old children in Nottingham, North attended nursery in (i) 1997 and (ii) the most recent period for which figures are available.

Margaret Hodge: All four-year-olds in England have been entitled to a free part-time early education place since September 1998. All three-year-olds in England have been entitled to a free part-time early education place since April 2004.
	The available information on the numbers of free part-time early education places taken up by three and four-year-olds in Nottingham, North parliamentary constituency and Nottingham City local education authority area is shown in the tables. Information for private and voluntary providers is available for Nottingham City but not for Nottingham, North.
	The latest figures on early education places for three and four-year-olds in England were published in Statistical First Release 39/2004 "Provision for children under five years of age in England—January 2004 (final)", which is available on the Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.
	
		Number of free nursery education places1,2 taken up 3 and 4–year-olds in maintained nursery and primary schools Nottingham, North parliamentary constituency area 1997and 2004
		
			   Maintained primary schools 
			 Position in January each year Maintained nursery schools Nursery classes Other classes(27) Total 
		
		
			 3-year-olds 
			 1997 0 850 0 850 
			 2004 0 900 10 920 
			 4-year-olds 
			 1997 0 1,300 170 1,400 
			 2004 0 800 360 1,200 
		
	
	(25) Headcount of children aged three and four at 31 December in the previous calendar year.
	(26) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 or 100 as appropriate.
	(27) Includes reception classes and classes not designated as nursery classes.
	Source:
	Annual Schools' Census
	
		Number of free nursery education places(28) taken up three and four-year-olds Nottingham City local education authority area 1997 and 2004
		
			 Position in January each year Maintained nursery and primary schools2,4 Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers Total 
		
		
			 3-year-olds
			 1997 1,800 n/a 1,800 
			 2004 2,200 (30)700 2,900 
			 4-year-olds
			 1997 n/a n/a (32)3,900 
			 2004 2,800 (33)400 3,200 
		
	
	n/a = Not available.
	1 Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 or 100 as appropriate.
	(28) Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	(29) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.
	(30) Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	(31) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.
	(32) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.

Free Nursery Places

Mark Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many three and four-year-olds in Stoke on Trent have benefited from the scheme guaranteeing a free part-time nursery place.

Margaret Hodge: All four-year-olds in England have been entitled to a free part-time early education place since September 1998. All three-year-olds in England have been entitled to a free part-time early education place since April 2004.
	The available information on the numbers of free part-time early education places taken up by three and four-year-olds in Stoke on Trent local education authority area is shown in the table.
	The latest figures on early education places for three and four-year-olds in England were published in Statistical First Release 39/2004 "Provision for children under five years of age in England—January 2004 (final)", which is available on the Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.
	
		Number of free nursery education places taken up 3 and 4-year-olds—Stoke on Trent local education authority area
		
			  3-year-olds 4-year-olds 
			 Position in January each year Maintained nursery and primary schools(33) Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers Total 3-year-olds Maintained nursery and primary schools(34) Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers(35) Total 4-year-olds 
		
		
			 1997 1,200 n/a 1,200 n/a n/a (36)3,100 
			 1998 2,000 n/a 2,000 n/a n/a (36)3,000 
			 1999 2,000 n/a 2,000 n/a n/a (36)2,900 
			 2000 2,000 (37)290 2,300 n/a n/a (36)2,800 
			 2001 1,800 (37)370 2,200 n/a n/a (36)2,800 
			 2002 1,600 (37)450 2,100 2,800 90 (36)2,900 
			 2003 1,600 (37)640 2,300 2,700 90 2,800 
			 2004 1,600 (38)600 2,200 2,600 100 2,700 
		
	
	n/a = Not available.
	(33) Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	(34) Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	(35) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.
	(36) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.
	(37) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.
	(38) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.

Freedom of Information

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what categories of information are available under Freedom of Information legislation that have not been provided in written parliamentary answers by her Department in the last three years.

Derek Twigg: "The Freedom of Information Act" does not make specific categories of information available, but operates on the presumption that all information held by public authorities should be available, subject to the 24 exemptions of the Act.
	Whether or not information is exempt under the Act requires the exercise of judgement in each case. The majority of the exemptions also require that the public interest in releasing the information should be weighed against the public interest in withholding it. If the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in withholding it the information must be disclosed. The assessment of the public interest has to be made in all the circumstances of the case, on a case by case basis as far as each request is concerned. Therefore it is not possible to provide the information requested.

NotSchool Project

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many participants there are in the NotSchool project; and how many are entered for formal accreditation.

Kim Howells: There are currently 553 participants ("researchers") in the NotSchool.net project of statutory school age, and an additional 18 at post-16.
	Last academic year (2003–4) 98 per cent. of researchers achieved a formal accreditation, and current indications suggest a similar figure will be reached this academic year.

Post-graduate Certificate

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of applicants for Post-Graduate Certificate in Education courses in (a) primary and (b) secondary teaching obtained either a first or an upper second class honours degree in the latest period for which figures are available.

Kim Howells: holding answer 20 January 2005
	The available information is taken from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record and is given in the table.
	
		Proportion of Entrants(39) to Post Graduate Certificate in Education courses at English HEIs with a 1st or upper 2nd class honours degree, 2003/04
		
			 Phase of Education Number with 1st or upper 2nd class honours degree Percentage with 1st or upper 2nd class honours degree(40) 
		
		
			 Primary(41) 4,295 57 
			 Secondary(42) 7,945 57 
			 Further Education(43) 640 37 
			 Other (43) 15 53 
			 Total of known  phase of education 12,895 55 
			 Unknown 75 n/a 
			 Total 12,970 n/a 
		
	
	(39) Figures are on a snapshot basis as at 1 December 2003.
	(40) Percentages are based upon those of known first degree classification. Those students with unknown degree classification and those students who do not hold a UK undergraduate degree are excluded.
	(41) Includes those studying to teach "Foundation stage and Key Stage 1 (KS1) (ages 3–8)", "KS1 and KS2 (ages 3–11)" and "KS1 and KS2 (ages 5–11)".
	(42) Includes those studying to teach "KS2 and KS3 (ages 7–14)", "KS3 and KS4 (ages 11–16)", "KS3, KS4 and post-16 (ages 11–18)" and "KS4 and post-16 (ages 14–19)".
	(43) Includes students on courses not leading to qualified teacher status.
	Source:
	Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)

Staff Vacancies

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much her Department spent on advertising staff vacancies in (a) 2002 and (b) 2003.

Derek Twigg: The following table gives the advertising costs for civil servants recruited to work within my Department for financial years 2001–02, 2002–03 and 2003–04:
	
		
			   £ 
			  Central recruitment relating to Grades AA-Grade 6 Senior civil service recruitment 
		
		
			 2001–02 187,890.24 111,266.54 
			 2002–03 134,016.11 256,669.66 
			 2003–04 124,026.77 170,603.38

Student Loan Company

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent representations she has received regarding problems with the Student Loan Company; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Secretary of State received a representation dated 5 January from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Withington (Mr. Bradley), on behalf of a constituent whose children received delayed student loan payments. I am going to reply, as I have ministerial responsibility for student support, to explain that this is now administered through a new system called "Protocol", aimed at improving the administration of the system and in particular streamlining the application and assessment process. However, as with any new system, there were initial difficulties to overcome and we are now reviewing with the Student Loans Company what worked well and what could be improved.

Sure Start

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what the total expenditure on Sure Start was in each year that the scheme has been in operation;
	(2)  what proportion of the budget for Sure Start was spent on administration in each year that the scheme has been in operation.

Margaret Hodge: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  Total expenditure (£ million) Proportion spent on administrative costs(47) (percentage) 
		
		
			 1999–2000 7 15 
			 2000–01 56 4 
			 2001–02 134 3 
			 2002–03 216 2 
			 2003–04 718 2 
		
	
	(47) Administrative costs comprises of salaries and general office administration costs for all activities undertaken by the wider Sure Start Unit, including its regional teams.
	The expenditure data quoted for 1999–00 to 2002–03 relates to Sure Start Local Programmes only (the Sure Start "Scheme").
	During 2002, Sure Start merged with the Early Years and Childcare Functions and as a consequence, only combined data is available from 2003–04.

Country Information Policy Unit Reports

Barbara Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who compiles the information in the Home Office Country Information Policy Unit reports that are referenced by asylum adjudicators and Home Office officials; and what their research and professional qualifications are.

Des Browne: The Home Office Country Information and Policy Unit (CIPU) is staffed by generalist civil servants. Although aptitude for research is an important element in selection of staff, it has not been considered necessary to staff the unit with professionally qualified researchers. This is because CIPU does not undertake "primary" research. The country information material it produces is "secondary" research—identifying and providing a summary of primary research carried out by others.
	The independent Advisory Panel on Country Information (APCI) has recommended that CIPU's research skills be strengthened by the introduction of professional research staff who would have supervisory, control and monitoring tasks in the preparation of Country Reports and other country information outputs. This recommendation is being addressed in the context of the reorganisation of CIPU's functions that I announced on 8 September 2004, Official Report, column 119WS.

Animal Experiments

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of trends in the number of animal experiments in the UK; and if his Department will take steps to reduce the number of experiments.

Caroline Flint: Trends in the number of animal experiments over the last few decades are recorded in the publication Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain 2003-Cm 6291, available in the Library—The Stationery Office Belfast publishes separate figures for animal experiments conducted in Northern
	Ireland. This shows that the number of scientific procedures using animals started in Great Britain in 2003—the latest year for which data is available—was just over 2.79 million, a rise of about 59,000 (2.2 per cent.) compared to 2002.
	There has overall been a significant reduction in the annual number of such scientific procedures since the 1970s and 1980s, but in recent years this trend has more or less levelled out. It is impossible to predict future trends, as many variable factors are involved.
	Reduction in experiments in particular programmes of work are achieved through implementation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, which can be licensed only if the number of animals used is minimised. More generally the Government and the scientific community are continuing efforts to try to bring down the overall amount of animal experimentation, including through establishment of the UK National 3Rs centre and working with relevant international bodies.

Asylum Seekers

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of Afghan asylum seekers received (a) refugee status and (b) another form of protection from the UK Government in each quarter since 1997.

Des Browne: The table shows initial decision and appeal determinations by quarter, where available, for Afghan asylum applicants, 1997 to Q3 2004. Decisions do not necessarily relate to applications made in the same period and appeal outcomes do not necessarily relate to initial decisions made in the same period.
	Information on asylum applications is published quarterly. The next publication covering the fourth quarter of 2004 will be available on the 22 February 2005 on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.home office.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	
		Initial decisions1 on asylum applications, by quarter, 1997 to Q3 2004—Nationals of Afghanistan
		
			   Cases considered under normal procedures Backlog clearance exercise 
			  Total initial decisions Grants of asylum Grants of ELR, HP  and DL(49) Total refusals Total backlog clearance exercise Backlog clearance ELR3,4 Backlog clearance refusals3,5 
			   No. % No. % No. %  No. % No. % 
		
		
			 Q1 1997 230 10 3 210 91 15 6 — — — — — 
			 Q2 1997 190 5 2 160 83 30 16 — — — — — 
			 Q3 1997 160 5 2 135 84 25 14 — — — — — 
			 Q4 1997 150 5 3 135 91 10 6 — — — — — 
			 Q1 1998 335 5 2 290 87 40 12 — — — — — 
			 Q2 1998 355 5 1 345 97 5 1 — — — — — 
			 Q3 1998 640 10 2 620 97 10 1 — — — — — 
			 Q4 1998 270 15 5 245 90 15 5 — — — — — 
			 1999(53) 1,295 15 1 1,180 91 90 7 10 10 100 — 0 
			 Q1 2000 265 15 5 80 30 170 64 5 5 100 — 0 
			 Q2 2000 370 30 8 120 32 220 59 5 5 100 — 0 
			 Q3 2000 480 40 8 100 21 335 70 * * 100 — 0 
			 Q4 2000 1,470 290 20 395 27 785 53 — — — — — 
			 Q1 2001 4,475 810 18 2,650 59 1,015 23 — — — — — 
			 Q2 2001 3,035 655 22 1,830 60 550 18 — — — — — 
			 Q3 2001 2,415 550 23 1,360 56 505 21 — — — — — 
			 Q4 2001 2,440 310 13 1,655 68 475 20 — — — — — 
			 Q1 2002 3,045 35 1 2,395 79 610 20 — — — — — 
			 Q2 2002 2,180 20 1 1,710 78 450 21 — — — — — 
			 Q3 2002 1,765 30 2 520 29 1,215 69 — — — — — 
			 Q4 2002 1,190 30 2 145 12 1,020 86 — — — — — 
			 Q1 2003(54) 1,265 10 1 205 16 1,050 83 — — — — — 
			 Q2 2003(54) 1,250 15 1 120 9 1,115 89 — — — — — 
			 Q3 2003(54) 790 5 1 110 14 670 85 — — — — — 
			 Q4 2003(54) 675 10 1 125 18 545 80 — — — — — 
			 Q1 2004(54) 565 10 2 110 20 445 78 — — — — — 
			 Q2 2004(54) 700 5 1 75 11 620 88 — — — — — 
			 Q3 2004(54) 980 10 1 125 13 845 86 — — — — — 
		
	
	(48) Figures rounded to nearest 5, with * = 1 or 2. Figures may not sum due to rounding.
	(49) Humanitarian protection and discretionary leave replaced exceptional leave to remain from 1 April 2003.
	(50) Cases decided under pragmatic measures aimed at reducing the pre "96 act asylum backlog.
	(51) May include a small number of cases where asylum has been granted.
	(52) May include a small number of cases where the application has been refused on substantive grounds.
	(53) Annual data only available,
	(54) Provisional figures.

Asylum Seekers

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of Iraqi asylum seekers received (a) refugee status and (b) another form of protection from the UK Government in each quarter since 1997.

Des Browne: The tables show initial decision and appeal determinations by quarter, where available, for Iraqi asylum applicants, 1997 to Q3 2004. Decisions do not necessarily relate to applications made in the same period and appeal outcomes do not necessarily relate to initial decisions made in the same period.
	Information on asylum applications is published quarterly. The next publication covering the fourth quarter of 2004 will be available on the 22 February 2005 on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.home office.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	
		Initial decisions(55) on asylum applications, by quarter, 1997 to Q3 2004—Nationals of Iraq
		
			   Cases considered under normal procedures Backlog clearance exercise 
			  Total initial decisions Grants of asylum Grants of ELR, HP  and DL(56) Total refusals Total backlog clearance exercise Backlog clearance ELR3,4 Backlog clearance refusals3,5 
			   No. % No. % No. %  No. % No. % 
		
		
			 Q1 1997 155 55 35 80 51 20 14 — — — — — 
			 Q2 1997 180 60 34 80 45 40 21 — — — — — 
			 Q3 1997 190 70 36 80 43 40 22 — — — — — 
			 Q4 1997 140 70 51 55 41 10 8 — — — — — 
			 Q1 1998 105 55 53 40 39 10 8 — — — — — 
			 Q2 1998 225 110 48 95 42 20 10 — — — — — 
			 Q3 1998 410 180 44 195 48 30 8 — — — — — 
			 Q4 1998 360 170 47 165 46 25 7 — — — — — 
			 1999(60) 735 315 42 320 43 100 14 5 5 86 * 14 
			 Q1 2000 795 140 18 535 67 120 15 — — 0 — 0 
			 Q2 2000 1,775 340 19 1,220 69 215 12 5 5 80 * 20 
			 Q3 2000 1,345 235 18 625 46 485 36 5 5 100 — 0 
			 Q4 2000 1,605 125 8 80 5 1,400 81 — — — — — 
			 Q1 2001 3,340 250 8 400 12 2,690 81 — — — — — 
			 Q2 2001 2,055 200 10 390 19 1,470 71 — — — — — 
			 Q3 2001 1,920 185 10 515 27 1,220 63 — — — — — 
			 Q4 2001 1,715 195 17 585 34 935 55 — — — — — 
			 Q1 2002 2,595 230 9 1,455 56 910 35 — — — — — 
			 Q2 2002 2,565 195 8 1,785 69 585 23 — — — — — 
			 Q3 2002 3,085 150 5 2,265 73 665 22 — — — — — 
			 Q4 2002 3,660 135 4 2,690 73 835 23 — — — — — 
			 Q1 2003(61) 2,955 65 2 2,105 71 785 27 — — — — — 
			 Q2 2003(61) 355 5 1 5 1 350 98 — — — — — 
			 Q3 2003(61) 1,805 * 0 15 1 1,790 99 — — — — — 
			 Q4 2003(61) 1,690 * 0 30 2 1,660 98 — — — — — 
			 Q1 2004(61) 1,640 5 0 70 4 1,570 96 — — — — — 
			 Q2 2004(61) 1,230 — 0 20 2 1,210 98 — — — — — 
			 Q3 2004(61) 1,460 — 0 45 3 1,415 97 — — — — — 
		
	
	(55) Figures rounded to nearest 5, with * = 1 or 2. Figures may not sum due to rounding.
	(56) Humanitarian protection and discretionary leave replaced exceptional leave to remain from 1 April 2003.
	(57) Cases decided under pragmatic measures aimed at reducing the pre-1996 Act asylum backlog.
	(58) May include a small number of cases where asylum has been granted.
	(59) May include a small number of cases where the application has been refused on substantive grounds.
	(60) Annual data only available.
	(61) Provisional figures.

Asylum Seekers

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of asylum seekers from Somalia received (a) refugee status and (b) another form of protection from the UK Government in each quarter since 1997.

Des Browne: The tables show initial decision and appeal determinations by quarter, where available, for Somalia asylum applicants, 1997 to Q3 2004. Decisions do not necessarily relate to applications made in the same period and appeal outcomes do not necessarily relate to initial decisions made in the same period.
	Information on asylum applications is published quarterly. The next publication covering the fourth quarter of 2004 will be available on the February 2005 on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.home office.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	
		Initial decisions(62)on asylum applications, by quarter, 1997 to Q3 2004—Nationals of Somalia
		
			   Cases considered under normal procedures 
			   Grants of asylum Grants of ELR , HP and DL(63) Total refusals 
			  Total initial decisions Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Q1 1997 505 5 1 405 81 90 18 
			 Q2 1997 205 55 26 * 0 150 73 
			 Q3 1997 535 145 27 335 63 55 10 
			 Q4 1997 1,065 780 73 275 26 10 1 
			 Q1 1998 1,040 705 68 320 31 15 2 
			 Q2 1998 510 450 89 30 6 25 5 
			 Q3 1998 760 710 94 15 2 35 4 
			 Q4 1998 495 465 94 10 2 20 4 
			 1999(67) 310 130 37 55 16 120 35 
			 Q1 2000 915 415 45 310 33 190 21 
			 Q2 2000 6,845 3,790 55 2,680 39 375 5 
			 Q3 2000 1,910 660 34 410 21 840 43 
			 Q4 2000 1,585 450 28 180 11 960 60 
			 Q1 2001 2,695 1,035 38 600 22 1,060 39 
			 Q2 2001 1,780 740 41 470 26 575 32 
			 Q3 2001 1,860 460 25 475 26 920 50 
			 Q4 2001 2,100 675 32 455 22 970 46 
			 Q1 2002 1,765 675 38 480 27 610 35 
			 Q2 2002 1,455 585 40 340 24 530 36 
			 Q3 2002 1,775 655 37 390 22 730 41 
			 Q4 2002 1,745 605 35 190 11 950 54 
			 Q1 2003(68) 2,025 685 34 160 8 1,180 58 
			 Q2 2003(68) 1,220 410 34 90 7 720 59 
			 Q3 2003(68) 1,370 390 28 130 9 850 62 
			 Q4 2003(68) 1,435 180 12 175 12 1,085 75 
			 Q1 2004(68) 1,265 115 9 160 13 990 78 
			 Q2 2004(68) 845 115 14 120 14 610 72 
			 Q3 2004(68) 595 100 17 90 15 410 69 
		
	
	
		
			   Total backlog clearance exercise 
			   Backlog clearance ELR3, 4 Backlog clearance Refusals3, 5 
			  Total backlog clearance exercise Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Q1 1997 — — — — — 
			 Q2 1997 — — — — — 
			 Q3 1997 — — — — — 
			 Q4 1997 — — — — — 
			 Q1 1998 — — — — — 
			 Q2 1998 — — — — — 
			 Q3 1998 — — — — — 
			 Q4 1998 — — — — — 
			 1999(67) 40 35 83 5 17 
			 Q1 2000 5 5 57 5 43 
			 Q2 2000 25 15 71 5 29 
			 Q3 2000 40 35 85 5 15 
			 Q4 2000 — — — — — 
			 Q1 2001 — — — — — 
			 Q2 2001 — — — — — 
			 Q3 2001 — — — — — 
			 Q4 2001 — — — — — 
			 Q1 2002 — — — — — 
			 Q2 2002 — — — — — 
			 Q3 2002 — — — — — 
			 Q4 2002 — — — — — 
			 Q1 2003(68) — — — — — 
			 Q2 2003(68) — — — — — 
			 Q3 2003(68) — — — — — 
			 Q4 2003(68) — — — — — 
			 Q1 2004(68) — — — — — 
			 Q2 2004(68) — — — — — 
			 Q3 2004(68) — — — — — 
		
	
	(62) Figures rounded to nearest 5, with * = 1 or 2. Figures may not sum due to rounding.
	(63) Humanitarian protection and discretionary leave replaced exceptional leave to remain from 1 April 2003.
	(64) Cases decided under pragmatic measures aimed at reducing the pre 1996 act asylum backlog.
	(65) May include a small number of cases where asylum has been granted.
	(66) May include a small number of cases where the application has been refused on substantive grounds.
	(67) Annual data only available.
	(68) Provisional figures.

Botox

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will eliminate the LD50 test as a regulatory instrument for the safety and potency testing of Botox, in favour of in-vitro methods; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Botox is the trade name for one of the products containing botulinum toxin. International and UK regulations concerning safety and efficacy of medicines require testing for botulinum toxin products at various stages of their processing, from harvesting through to marketing as a finished product for use as a prescription only medicine.
	The Home Office and all others concerned with conducting and regulating such testing are committed to moving to less severe testing procedures as soon as it becomes practicable to do so. The laboratories involved in ensuring that botulinum toxin products
	are safe for therapeutic use (the only use for which animal tests are licensed) are already gaining expertise in non-animal methods to this end.
	The European Pharmacopoeia states that the potency of the toxin as a reconstituted product is determined by an LD50 assay in mice (the reference method), or by a method validated with respect to the LD50 assay. Unfortunately there is at present no accepted and validated alternative to the LD50 test for determining the potency of botulinum toxin at the production stage. Other methods, including an in vitro test, can additionally be employed, and are being used, for example when confirmatory assay of potency is needed.
	Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 only the test method which causes the least animal suffering, while achieving the scientific objective, can be licensed in the UK. This means that in vitro tests must be used wherever possible and, when there is no non-animal alternative, animal suffering must be minimised by use of the mildest procedures available. Conditions on project licences require this, so that when a less severe validated alternative to the LD50 test becomes available, it must be used.

Class A Drug Arrests

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests for Class A drug possession took place in Hartlepool last year.

Caroline Flint: Data for Class A drug possession arrests is currently not
	collated in the format requested.
	Information on the number of known drug offenders found guilty or cautioned for Class A drugs and the number of possession offences in the Cleveland police force area are available in the Area tables, of the "Drug seizure and offender statistics, United
	Kingdom", United Kingdom, 2001 and 2002, for which figures are currently available. Copies are available in the Library of the House.

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent by his Department on lighting in each year since 1997.

Fiona Mactaggart: The information requested is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Furniture

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent by his Department on (a) new furniture and (b) hired furniture in each year since 1997.

Fiona Mactaggart: The information requested is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Plants

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department show much has been spent by his Department on (a) indoor bought plants, (b) indoor hired plants, (c) outdoor bought plants and (d) outdoor hired plants in each year since 1997.

Fiona Mactaggart: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Drug Trafficking

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women were convicted of trafficking (i) class A drugs and (ii) cannabis from Africa to the UK in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: It is not possible from the information held on the Home Office Court Proceedings database to identify men or women convicted of trafficking drugs from Africa to the UK.

External Supplies

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many tenders were let by his Department to external suppliers in the financial year 2003–04; and what the value was.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Home Office does not hold a central record of the number or value of tenders let by the department in each financial year, to obtain this information would incur disproportionate costs.

Identity Cards

Mark Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures he proposes to introduce to enable individuals to challenge information about them held on the proposed identity card.

Des Browne: All individuals recorded on the National Identity Register will have data subject access rights under the Data Protection Act.
	The Government is also looking at ways of ensuring that an individual will be able to read his card, and Register-entry, easily.
	Where an individual notifies us of an error, we will have processes to ensure that we are satisfied that the information provided is correct. This would include ensuring that this information was indeed provided by the correct individual and, where relevant, that the information is confirmed by the party responsible for maintaining that information. We would confirm with the individual that the updated information has been recorded.

Motoring Offences

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many prosecutions for (a) driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle with excess alcohol and (b) being in charge of a motor vehicle with excess alcohol (i) Essex police and (ii) Southend police have brought successfully in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many prosecutions for (a) driving or attempting to drive a mechanically propelled vehicle while unfit through drink or drugs and (b) being in charge of a mechanically propelled vehicle while unfit through drink or drugs (i) Essex police and (ii) Southend police have brought successfully in each year since 1997;
	(3)  how many prosecutions for motor manslaughter offences (a) Essex police and (b) Southend police have brought successfully in each year since 1997;
	(4)  how many prosecutions for (a) dangerous driving and (b) careless or inconsiderate driving (i) Essex police and (ii) Southend police have brought successfully in each year since 1997;
	(5)  how many prosecutions for driving with uncorrected sight (a) Essex police and (b) Southend police have brought successfully in each year since 1997;
	(6)  how many prosecutions for (a) causing death by dangerous driving and (b) causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drink or drugs (i) Essex police and (ii) Southend police have brought successfully in each year since 1997.

Caroline Flint: Available information taken from the Home Office Court Proceedings Database for Essex police force area and South East Essex petty sessional area, 1997 to 2002 (latest available) are given in the Tables.
	Offences of "manslaughter by driving" cannot be identified separately from total manslaughter offences. And offences of "driving with uncorrected sight" cannot be separately identified from other summary driving licence offences.
	2003 data will be available in March 2005.
	
		Table C: Findings of guilt at all courts for specific motoring offences(69) within south east Essex PSA2,3, 1997 to 2002 Number of offences
		
			 Offence type 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 Causing death by dangerous driving [RTA88 S1 as amended] — — — — — — 
			 Causing death by careless driving under influence of drink or drugs [RTA88 S3A as added] — — — — — — 
			 Dangerous driving [RTA88 S2 as amended] 23 24 23 11 16 17 
			 Unfit to drive through drink or drugs(impairment) [RTA88 S4(1)] 8 4 10 5 5 21 
			 In charge of motor vehicle while unfit through drink or drugs (Impairment) [RTA88 34(2)] 1 — 5 2 2 — 
			 Driving without due care and attention [RTA88 S3] 366 401 380 342 381 231 
		
	
	(69) Covers offences under legislation pertaining to the involvement of a motor vehicle (i.e. mechanically propelled vehicle intended or adapted for use on roads, and includes motor cycles, motor scooters, mechanically propelled invalid carriages, road rollers and tractors).
	(70) Covers Southend and includes parts of Rayleigh, Benfleet and Canvey.
	(71) Includes findings of guilt for south east Essex PSA and findings of guilt at Southend Crown court.

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the running costs of the Department were in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) electricity, (b) water, (c) gas, (d) telephones, (e) mobile telephones and (f) televisions.

Anne McGuire: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999.
	Since that date expenditure in the categories requested was as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			  1999–2000(72) 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Electricity(73) 11,855 22,807 19,526 28,439 23,703 
			 Water(73) 1,067 3,656 4,221 7,018 11,699 
			 Gas(73) 43,024 78,224 94,866 88,244 88,085 
			 Telephones 13,404 89,217 87,859 83,163 88,298 
			 Mobile phones 6,760 14,275 11,850 7,216 6,646 
			 Televisions 0 480 1,439 1,439 1,439 
		
	
	(72) Part year
	(73) The information relates to buildings where the Scotland Office are major occupiers. Costs relating to buildings shared with the Scottish Executive are not separately identifiable.

Civil Servants

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many civil servants in her Department work in the (a) Commercial Best Practice and Enterprise, (b) Maximising Potential in the Workplace, (c) Finance for Investment, (d) Strengthening Regional Economies and (e) Knowledge Transfer and Innovation unit, broken down by salary band.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 25 January 2005
	The approximate numbers of full-time equivalent staff expected to work in DTI HQ on the equivalent objectives at 31 March 2005 are as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 (a) Effective Channels with Business (which incorporates Commercial Best Practice) 501 
			 (b) Maximising Potential in the Workplace 214 
			 (c) Enterprise, Growth and Business Investment (formerly Enterprise for All and Finance for Investment) 340 
			 (d) Regions 84 
			 (e) Knowledge Transfer and Innovation 247 
		
	
	We do not have readily available this information broken down by salary band..

Incapacity and DLA Claimants

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what is the age breakdown of (a) incapacity and (b) disability living allowance claimants is.

Maria Eagle: The information is in the following tables.
	
		All incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claimants in Great Britain by age and percentage as at 31 August 2004.
		
			  Number of claimants Percentage of claimants 
		
		
			 All ages 2,704,200 100 
			 Under 20 40,500 1.5 
			 20 to 24 127,400 4.7 
			 25 to 29 145,400 5.4 
			 30 to 34 208,900 7.7 
			 35 to 39 265,400 9.8 
			 40 to 44 306,300 11.3 
			 45 to 49 328,900 12.2 
			 50 to 54 393,300 14.5 
			 55 to 59 530,200 19.6 
			 60 to 64 328,000 12.1 
			 65 and over 29,900 1.1 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. Totals may not sum due to rounding. Percentages are rounded to the nearest 0.1 percentage points.
	2. Figures include all incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA), including IB credits only cases.
	3. Great Britain figures include a small number of claimants resident overseas.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 5 per cent. sample.
	
		Disability living allowance recipients in Great Britain by age and percentage as at 31 August 2004
		
			  Number of recipients Percentage of recipients 
		
		
			 All ages 2,634,300 100 
			 0 to 4 41,900 1.6 
			 5 to 9 99,200 3.8 
			 10 to 15 135,400 5.1 
			 16 to 19 59,400 2.3 
			 20 to 24 67,100 2.5 
			 25 to 29 72,000 2.7 
			 30 to 34 108,400 4.1 
			 35 to 39 150,700 5.7 
			 40 to 44 179,100 6.8 
			 45 to 49 197,700 7.5 
			 50 to 54 235,800 9.0 
			 55 to 59 319,400 12.1 
			 60 to 64 346,900 13.2 
			 65 to 69 311,800 11.8 
			 70 to 74 203,600 7.7 
			 75 to 79 80,200 3.0 
			 80 and over 25,800 1.0 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. Totals may not sum due to rounding. Percentages are rounded to the nearest 0.1 percentage points.
	Source:
	IAD information Centre, 5 per cent. sample

Cancer

John Mann: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what the survival rates were for each form of cancer in (a) 1997 and (b) the last year for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. John Mann, dated 26 January 2005
	As National Statistician., I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning what the survival rates were for each form of cancer in (a) 1997 and (b) the last year for which figures arc available. (211105)
	Survival rates arc not separately available by individual year of diagnosis. The latest available one and five year survival rates for the 20 most common cancers in England and Wales are for adult patients (aged 15–99 years) diagnosed during 1996–99 and followed up to 31 December 2001. These figures were published on the National Statistics website on 9 March 2004, and are available at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/ssdataset.asp? vlnk=7899

Child Trust Funds

Peter Pike: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what percentage of children in Burnley are eligible for the Child Trust Fund.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Battersea (Martin Linton) on 30 November 2004, Official Report, columns 87–88W. All children born and living in the UK since 1 September 2002 whose families receive child benefit will be eligible for the Child Trust Fund.

Child Trust Funds

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the number of children in Hendon who qualify for payments under the Child Trust Fund (a) at £250 and (b) at £500; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Battersea (Martin Linton) on 30 November 2004, Official Report, columns 87–88W. All children born and living in the UK since 1 September 2002 whose families receive child benefit will be eligible for the Child Trust Fund.

National Minimum Wage (Lancashire)

Peter Pike: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people he estimates in (a) Burnley and (b) Lancashire are benefiting from the national minimum wage; what percentage that is of those in work in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Peter Pike, dated 26 January 2005
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many people it is estimated are benefiting from the national minimum wage in Burnley and Lancashire. I am replying in his absence. (210969)
	Estimates for the number of jobs paid below the minimum wage for local authority areas and counties are not available. However, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) calculates this information for the United Kingdom and Government Office Regions. A guide to measuring low pay and associated articles and data can be found on the National Statistics website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=5837&Pos= 1&ColRank=1&Rank=272

Tax Credits

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many families in Hendon (a) received child tax credit and (b) were estimated to be entitled to it on the latest date for which figures are available; what the average monthly payment was in the last month for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.
	(2)  how many families in Hendon (a) received working tax credit and (b) were estimated to be entitled to it on the latest date for which figures are available; what the average monthly payment was in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: For (a) , estimates of the number of in-work families in each constituency receiving tax credits are published in "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics, Geographical Analyses. December 2004". This can be found on the Inland Revenue website, at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/menu.htm. The estimates are based on a sample of cases, and are subject to sampling uncertainty.
	For (b), estimates of the number of families eligible for these tax credits are not available at the constituency level.
	Information on average monthly payments of child tax credit and working tax credit is not available, as explained in the technical note in "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. December 2004". This can be found on the Inland Revenue website.

Tax Credits

Tom Levitt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people are in receipt of (a) child tax credit and (b) working tax credit in the High Peak constituency.

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates of the number of in-work families receiving tax credits in each constituency (broken down by families with and without children) appear in "Child and Working Tax Credit Statistics. Geographical analyses. December 2004." This can be found on the Inland Revenue website at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/menu.htm. The estimates are based on a sample of cases, and are subject to sampling uncertainty.

Tax Credits

Graham Allen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) families and (b) individuals in Nottingham North constituency benefit from the working tax credit.

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates of the number of in-work families receiving tax credits in each constituency (broken down by families with and without children) appear in "Child and Working Tax Credit Statistics. Geographical analyses. December 2004." This can be found on the Inland Revenue website at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/menu.htm. The estimates are based on a sample of cases, and are subject to sampling uncertainty.

Tax Credits

Graham Allen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average tax burden on a single earner family on average earnings with two children claiming the working tax credit in the Nottingham North constituency was in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the tax burden was on such a family in (a) 1975–76 and (b) 1997–98.

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not available at the constituency level. For the tax burden for a single earner couple on UK average earnings I refer the right hon. Friend to table 14.10 in the "Tax Benefit Reference Manual 2004–05 Edition" available in the House of Commons Library.

Tax Credits

Mark Fisher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the total expenditure on (a) working tax credit and (b) child tax credit in Stoke-on-Trent has been in each year since those schemes have been in operation;
	(2)  how many people in Stoke-on-Trent have successfully claimed (a) working tax credit and (b) child tax credit in each year since those schemes have been in operation.

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates of the number of in-work families in each local authority and constituency receiving these tax credits appear in "Child and Working Tax Credit Statistics. Geographical analyses." These can be found on the Inland Revenue website at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/menu.htm. The estimates are based on a sample of cases, and are subject to sampling uncertainty.
	The national level of expenditure on tax credits in the year ending 31 March 2004 appears in the Inland Revenue report and accounts for that year. The amounts paid to families in each local authority or constituency are not available.

Teenage Pregnancies

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many teenage pregnancies there were in (a) Romford, (b) the London borough of Havering, (c) Greater London, (d) Essex and (e) England in (i) over 16s and (ii) under 16s in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Andrew Rosindell, dated 26 January 2005
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question (PQ) asking for information on teenage pregnancies in Romford, the London borough of Havering, Greater London, Essex and England. I am replying in his absence. (210529)
	The most recent year for which conception statistics are available is 2002. Figures for this year are provisional.
	Conception figures are not routinely produced by Parliamentary Constituency. However, figures for teenage conceptions by Parliamentary Constituency in 2000 were given in an answer to a previous PQ and placed in the House of Commons Library (PQ 87154, Hansard No. 21, column 586W). There were 49 teenage conceptions in Romford in 2000.
	Conception figures by age or for subsequent years are not available by Parliamentary Constituency.
	The data requested for the London borough of Havering, Greater London, Essex and England are given in the attached table.
	
		Number of teenage conceptions to women aged under 16and 16–17, 2002
		
			  Age 
			  Under 16 16–17 
		
		
			 London borough of Havering 18 132 
			 Greater London 1,229 5,283 
			 Essex 154 635 
			 England 7,395 31,955

Adverse Drug Reactions

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what action the Committee on Safety of Medicines takes when it receives reports of adverse drug reactions to insulin glargine;
	(2)  how many cases of suspected adverse drug reactions for human insulin there were in 2003; what the symptoms of such adverse reactions were; and what research he has (a) evaluated and (b) commissioned on the effects of the use of GM produced insulin analogues.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 24 January 2005
	As with all medicines, the safety of human insulins is monitored by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), with independent expert advice from the committee on safety of medicines (CSM). All information on the safety of these products is evaluated as it becomes available.
	Insulin glargine (Lantus) is a long acting insulin licensed throughout the European Union. As with all new medicines, it is currently under intensive monitoring by the MHRA and the CSM. Prescribers are asked to report through the yellow card scheme all suspected adverse reactions for products under intensive monitoring, which are identified by an inverted black triangle symbol in the British National Formulary. When reports are received they are added to the database of adverse drug reactions. All reports of serious adverse drug reactions are evaluated by a member of the professional staff of the MHRA with particular responsibility for that product. These reports are then discussed in the context of all reports for the product at a weekly meeting of professional medical and scientific staff of the MHRA to identify any new safety issues.
	A total of 142 reports of suspected adverse reactions were reporting through the Yellow Card Scheme in association with all human insulins in 2003. The most common adverse drug reactions reported related to decreases or increases in blood sugar, headache, injection site reaction and pruritis (itching).
	In 2000, the CSM's sub-committee on Pharmacovigilance (SCOP) considered a systematic review of the literature on the safety of human insulins (Airey et al Diabetic Medicine 2000). A total of 52 randomised controlled trials were identified, in addition to 56 studies of other designs and case reports. The SCOP advised that although some patients have experienced problems on transferring to human insulin and are better suited to animal derived insulins, there is no clear evidence of safety problem specific to human insulin. This advice was communicated to prescribers in an article in the drug safety bulletin, "Current Problems in Pharmacovigilance" in September 2000. In 2002, SCOP considered a review of human insulin versus animal insulin in people with diabetes mellitus published by the Cochrane Library. This review included randomised controlled trials of at least one month in duration until May 2002. No significant differences in metabolic control or hypoglycaemic episodes between various insulin species could be elucidated. The patient information leaflets for insulins provide detailed information about the risk of hypoglycaemia and the advice on action to take should it occur.

Digital Hearing Aids

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how his Department calculates the NHS reference costs for the (a) provision and (b) fitting of digital hearing aids.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department collects unit cost and activity data from all national health service providers in England each financial year.
	Various appropriate activity currencies are used for a range of services and treatments provided by the NHS, which form part of the scope of the reference cost collection. Unit cost data is produced in accordance with the rules detailed in the NHS costing manual, to ensure that both cost and activity data are calculated on a consistent and comparable basis.
	The data is collated and national average unit cost figures are produced by calculating, for each service/treatment area, the total national cost for the service, and then dividing this by the total reported activity for that service, at national level.
	All national average costs are published in the national schedule of reference costs, at service level, in conjunction with national activity levels, and inter-quartile ranges, detailing the ranges between which the middle 50 per cent., of NHS provider costs lie.
	Data on the provision and fitting of hearing aids is available for the 2002–03 financial year, when the average unit cost reported by NHS trusts undertaking the service in house was 144 per aid, but no comparable data will be available for the financial year 2003–04, following changes to the accounting treatment of digital hearing aids.
	Copies of the national schedule of reference costs and the NHS costing manual are available in the Library.

Health Care-associated Infection

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding has been allocated for research into health care-associated infections; and what plans he has for how that funding should be spent.

Melanie Johnson: During the first half of 2003, the Department commissioned a £2.5 million strategic programme of research aimed at improving scientific understanding of antimicrobial resistance. £590,000 of that total sum is being spent on projects that will provide information relating to preventing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
	The publication of the Department's report, "Winning Ways—working together to reduce healthcare associated infection in England", in December 2003 was accompanied by the announcement that £3 million would be allocated to fund a new research programme on healthcare associated infections.
	We have commissioned the "National observational study of the effectiveness of the Clean Your Hands campaign and a cluster randomised controlled trials of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of feedback in intensive care units and acute general medical wards". A further call for research proposals is about to be issued, following the Department's recent science summit.

Laser Eye Surgery

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what independent audits have taken place on the (a) efficacy and (b) safety of private provision of laser eye surgery.

Rosie Winterton: The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has reviewed available evidence on Laser in situ keratomileusis for the treatment of refractive errors (short and long-sightedness) and issued guidance to the national health service on 15 December 2004. A copy is available on the NICE website at www.nice.org.uk/pdf/ip/IPG102public info.pdf . We are not aware of other independent audits.

NHS Personnel Costs

Neil Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons the market force factor is applied to personnel costs for NHS employees beyond agreed weighting factors.

John Hutton: holding answer 20 January 2005
	The market forces factor (MFF) is a component of the weighted capitation formula used to inform allocations to primary care trusts (PCTs). The purpose of the MFF is to equalise the commissioning power of PCTs by adjusting for unavoidable variations in national health service trust costs directly related to location.
	The MFF is made up of the following elements.
	
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 Staff MFF 70 
			 Land MFF 1 
			 Buildings MFF 4

Teenage Sex

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's policy is on teenage sexual activity; and what scientific evidence is used in the development of this policy.

Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government's teenage pregnancy and wider sexual health strategies reflect the complex reasons behind England's high rate of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Key aspects of the Government's response to these issues are:
	information campaigns highlighting: the importance of under-16s delaying sexual activity (evidence tells us that delay results in lower rates of regret and improved contraception use); resisting peer pressure to engage in early sexual activity; and—for young people who are sexually active—the importance of using condoms to protect against unplanned pregnancies and STIs. This final message is reinforced through the Department of Health's sexual health campaign which, as highlighted in the recent Public Health White Paper, will be expanded, with an emphasis on reaching young people and other hard to reach groups;
	support for parents to help them discuss sex and relationship issues with their children (which is proven to result in more openness, later first sex and better contraception use);
	improving both the quality of sex and relationships education in schools and out of school settings, and young people's access to contraception and sexual health advice services in community settings and general practice;
	provision of enhanced support to teenage parents, to provide a pathway out of social exclusion, in particular through re-engagement in education and training; and better partnership working between local health and education partners through the "Healthy Schools" programme and the establishment of Teenage Pregnancy Partnership Boards in each top tier local authority.
	This multi-faceted approach was recommended in the Social Exclusion Unit's report on teenage pregnancy, published in 1999, The plan reflects the best international evidence of what works in reducing teenage pregnancies and supporting teenage parents. A subsequent review by the Health Development Agency in 2003, confirmed the evidence base for the strategy.
	Between 1998 (the baseline year for the teenage pregnancy strategy) and 2002 (the latest year for which data are available) the rate of under-18 conceptions has fallen by 8.6 per cent. and the rate of under-16 conceptions by 11.2 per cent. The proportion of teenage parents engaged in education, employment or training has increased from 23.1 per cent. (average for 1997–99) to 29.7 per cent. (average for 2002–04).

Suicides

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many suicides there have been in the Province in each of the last 10 years.

Ian Pearson: The following table gives the number of deaths registered in Northern Ireland for each year between 1994 and 2003 due to "suicide and self-inflicted injury" 1 and the number of registered deaths due to "undetermined injury whether accidentally or purposefully inflicted" 2 .
	1 International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes X60-X84, Y87.0 for years 2001–2003 and Ninth Revision codes E950-E959 for years 1994–2000.
	2 International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes Y10-Y34, Y87.2 for years 2001–03 and Ninth Revision codes E980-E989 for years 1994–2000.
	
		Number of registered deaths by year in Northern Ireland due to "suicide and self-inflicted injury" or"undetermined injury whether accidentally or purposefully inflicted"
		
			 Registration year Death due to "suicide and self-inflicted injury" Death due to "undetermined injury whether accidentally or purposefully inflicted" Total deaths due to "suicide and self-inflicted injury" or "undetermined injury whether accidentally or purposefully inflicted" 
		
		
			 1994 138 13 151 
			 1995 122 24 146 
			 1996 124 19 143 
			 1997 120 18 138 
			 1998 126 24 150 
			 1999 121 33 154 
			 2000 163 22 185 
			 2001 141 17 158 
			 2002 162 21 183 
			 2003 132 12 144

Theft and Fraud

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the cost to each of the Government Departments in the Province of (a) theft and (b) fraud in each of the last six years.

Ian Pearson: The cost of (a) theft and (b) fraud to each Northern Ireland Department (including agencies and NDPBs) for 2003–04 is as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2003 Theft Fraud 
		
		
			 Department of Finance and Personnel 1,470 0 
			 Department of Education 0 16,686 
			 Department of Agriculture and Rural Development 1,423 0 
			 Department of Regional Development 1,143 0 
			 Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety 185 1,203 
			 Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure 3,616 290,104 
			 Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment/Department of Employment and Learning(80) 1,783 67,792 
			 Department of the Environment 1,035 5 
			 Department of Social Development 61,400 75,800 
			 Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister 0 0 
			 Total 72,055 451,590 
		
	
	(80) Figures include both Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment and Department of Employment and Learning.
	The cost of theft and fraud for the five previous years can only be shown in total for all Departments, as the cost of obtaining the information would be disproportionate.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Cost of theft and fraud 
		
		
			 2002–03 494,020 
			 2001–02 518,235 
			 2000–01 324,829 
			 1999–2000 152,042 
			 1998–99 204,617

Burkina Faso

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met representatives of the Government of Burkina Faso; what the topics of discussion were at that meeting; what the outcome was of the meeting; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mullin: A Foreign and Commonwealth Office official met the Burkinabe ambassador to London on 10 November 2004, and stressed the need for all Côte d'lvoire's neighbours to help the international community's efforts to reach a peaceful solution in Côte d'lvoire.

Cote D'Ivoire

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the impact on the peace process in Côte d'Ivoire of General Henri Poncet's announcement on 18 January on the willingness of the French force in Côte d'Ivoire to use force if asked to do so by the UN mission; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mullin: We welcome General Poncet's expressed willingness for French forces in Côte d'lvoire to use necessary force when requested to do so by the UN Operation (UNOCI). This is provided for in UN Security Council resolution 1528 (2004). With UNOCI, French forces have helped preserve the peace by maintaining the zone of confidence separating the two sides, and have helped restore order after the recent violence; we value their continued support of UNOCI.

Cote D'Ivoire

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions (a) he, (b) members of his Department and (c) representatives of the UK Government have had since November 2004 with members and representatives of (i) the French government, (ii) the government of Côte d'Ivoire, (iii) the rebel forces in the north of Côte d'Ivoire and (iv) the UN regarding the (A) size and (B) nature of the French military deployment to Côte d'Ivoire; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mullin: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister met President Chirac on 18 January and discussed Côte d'Ivoire. The Prime Minister thanked President Chirac for the French role in supporting the UN operation. On 18 November my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary thanked Foreign Minister Barnier for French military assistance in the evacuation of British citizens.
	Officials in London and Paris remain in regular contact with the French government about the situation in Côte d'Ivoire.
	We also participate actively in Security Council discussions relating to Côte d'Ivoire as part of an on-going assessment of the roles and responsibility of the UN operation in Côte d'Ivoire.

Liberia

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions (a) he, (b) members of his Department and (c) representatives of the UK Government have had since August 2003 with members and representatives of (i) the EU, (ii) the governments of the member states of the EU, (iii) the UN, (iv) the government of the US, (v) the government of Russia, (vi) the government of China, (vii) the government of Australia and (viii) the government of India regarding the economic and security situation in Liberia; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mullin: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed Liberia with the then US Secretary of State Colin Powell in January 2004. I have attended two meetings of the International Contact Group on Liberia, where I met senior representatives of the US, UN, France and the EU. I also met senior UN, US and EU representatives during my visit to Liberia in November 2004; security and the economy were among the issues discussed.
	UK officials regularly discuss Liberia with the EU and member states at the EU Africa Working Group and the Africa Caribbean Pacific Working Group. There is also frequent contact between UK, US, UN and EU officials in Monrovia, New York and London. This includes discussions over the deployment of Irish, Dutch and Swedish troops to the UN Mission in Liberia.
	The UK has had discussions with officials from China and Russia in the margins of the Security Council discussions on Liberia at the UN. I am not aware of any discussions with the Governments of Australia or India.

Serbia and Montenegro

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government have made to the Government of Serbia and Montenegro requesting that they hand over war criminals to the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague.

Denis MacShane: The UK Government continues to take every opportunity—both bilaterally and in multilateral fora—to make clear to the Government of Serbia and Montenegro (SaM), as well as to the competent authorities in Belgrade and in Podgorica, their international obligations, under Chapter VII UN Security Council Resolutions, to co-operate fully with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague.
	Most recently, during the visit of SaM President Svetozar Marovic and other State Union Ministers to the UK, I—together with my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary, the Secretary of State for Defence and other Ministers—emphasised that the arrest or surrender and transfer to The Hague of fugitive indictees, in particular Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, is the key requirement for the country's closer integration with Euro-Atlantic structures.

VE Day Celebrations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans his Department has for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of Victory in Europe day.

Denis MacShane: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will participate in the major commemorations held on Sunday 10 July 2005 which will incorporate the anniversaries of the cessation of hostilities in Europe and the Far East and are being organised by the Ministry of Defence.

Government Grants

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the (a) housing, (b) regeneration and (c) social exclusion scheme funding streams the Government has operated since May 1997; and which are still in operation.

Keith Hill: The table shows funding streams currently in operation:
	Housing
	Arms Length Management Organisations
	Best Value Intervention in Housing
	Black and Minority Ethnic Registered Social Landlords
	Clawback compensation grant (housing receipts)
	Disabled Facilities Grants
	Estate Action
	Gypsy Site Grant
	Homelessness (previously separate funding streams relating to Bed & Breakfast, Rough Sleepers, Homelessness Strategies and the Priority Needs Order)
	Housing Action Trusts
	Housing Bill Implementation (Home Buying & Selling, Landlord Licensing and Safety Ratings, Tenants Deposit Scheme)
	Housing Defects Grants/Loan Charges
	Housing Management Grants
	Housing Mobility Grants
	Housing Revenue Account Subsidy
	Large Scale Voluntary Transfers—gap funding and repayment of overhanging debt
	Leasehold Enfranchisement Advisory Service
	Local Authority funding of Pilot Letting Schemes
	Local Authority Social Housing Grant—Transitional Compensation
	Private Housing Renewal
	Private Landlords in Low Demand Areas
	Procurement Efficiency & Social Housing
	Residential Property Tribunal Service
	Safer Communities Supported Housing Fund
	Single Housing Capital Pot (includes Housing Corporation Approved Development Programme and Local Authority Supported Capital Expenditure for Housing)
	Starter Homes Initiative
	Supporting People
	The National Approved Letting Scheme
	Regeneration
	Coalfields funding (Enterprise Fund and Regeneration Trust)
	Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment
	Design Awards
	English Partnerships (including Commission for the New Towns)
	European Regional Development Fund
	Groundwork & National Urban Forestry Unit
	Housing Market Renewal Fund
	Interreg (European funding stream)
	Lea Valley Regional Park
	Liveability Fund
	Living Spaces
	Mersey Basin
	New Deal for Communities
	New Ventures Fund
	Other Growth Areas
	Regional Development Agencies (including London Development Agency)
	Single Regeneration Budget
	Special Grants Programme
	Thames Gateway
	Trees & Hedges
	Urban Design Skills
	The following funding streams have existed at some point since May 1997 but are no longer in operation:
	Housing
	British Board of Agreement
	Estates Renewal Challenge Fund
	Rent Officer Services
	Regeneration
	Central Manchester Regeneration
	Challenge Fund Grants
	Coalfields Housing
	Greenwich Millennium
	Public Space Improvement Programme
	Urban Development Corporations—post wind-up
	The Government also funds the work of the Social Exclusion Unit. The Unit does not administer funding streams directly but does work with government departments and other stakeholders to ensure that a wide range of Government funding programmes contribute to the reduction of social exclusion.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister also funds research on housing, regeneration and social exclusion.

Housing Associations

Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will publish an annual summary for the next three years of planned improvements to housing association stock.

Keith Hill: The information requested is not held centrally by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. However, Housing Associations supply the Housing Corporation with forecast spend on planned maintenance and major repairs, both of which may include works classed as "improvements." The totals for these two for 2005–06 to 2007–08 are as follows;
	
		
			  Total £ 
		
		
			 2005–06 1,921,719 
			 2006–07 1,886,966 
			 2007–08 1,834,596

Social Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) council tenants and (b) former council tenants have transferred to (i) registered social landlords and (ii) arm's length management organisations exercising their right to buy in each year since 1995.

Keith Hill: Figures for council and registered social landlord right to buy sales for England since 1995–96 are tabled as follows.
	
		Number of right to buy sales Thousand
		
			  (a) local authority (b) registered social landlord 
		
		
			 1995–96 31.5 2.9 
			 1996–97 33.2 2.4 
			 1997–98 41.3 4.5 
			 1998–99 40.3 4.4 
			 1999–2000 54.3 7.2 
			 2000–01 52.4 7.1 (of which 5.2 preserved right to buy) 
			 2001–02 52.0 8.2 (of which 6.7 preserved right to buy) 
			 2002–03 63.4 (of which at least 3.3 from ALMO) 10.5 (of which 8.9 preserved right to buy) 
			 2003–04 69.6 (of which at least 8.9 from ALMO) 14.5 (of which 11.7 preserved right to buy) 
		
	
	Prior to 2002–03, sales from Arms Length Management Organisations (ALMO) are assumed to be nil. Figures on Preserved Right to Buy are not available prior to 2000–01.

Staff Vacancies

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much his Department spent on advertising staff vacancies in (a) 2002 and (b) 2003.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created on 29 May 2002. The amount spent on advertising staff vacancies in 2002 and 2003 was £241,966 and £259,712 respectively